Not Over Yet
by Lady Elena Dawson
Summary: Twenty years after graduation, the girls find themselves haunted by A once again: But this time, A's targeting their children. Spoby, Ezria, Haleb, and Emily/OC.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Malcolm and Maggie are exempt from this story. I also won't be mentioning the hand that came out of the ground because I'll be using that for my other story, "Nothing's Meant to Last Forever." The A/Red Coat reveal is from the books.**

* * *

**Not Over Yet**

**Prologue: Graduation Day**

"Now presenting the graduating class of 2011!"

The students and audience erupted in cheers, some of the guys even taking off their light blue caps that matched their robes and swirling them around above their heads, hooting. Hanna turned around and snorted at them before catching the eye of Aria, who sat a row behind her. Aria raised an arched eyebrow and rolled her eyes. "Boys will be boys," her expression said.

Spencer stood at the pedestal in front of the group of Rosewood seniors, smiling broadly. She had gotten her teeth whitened and makeup done professionally just for this occasion. Finally, the ongoing battle between her and Andrew Campbell was over—and she had won. They ranked first and second place in the class for four years, and they switched around a lot, but Spencer's luck was on her side when it came to being valedictorian.

In the audience, she could make out her boyfriend of over a year and a half, Toby Cavanaugh, just _beaming _at her; she had caught him whistling while standing up and cheering for her after she made the inspiring speech that he helped her write—along with the input of her friends, of course. Spencer had even joked with Aria that maybe she should have Ezra proof-read it, "just in case," and she was given a semi-painful blunt to the shoulder.

Vice-principal Hackett smiled widely as he shook Spencer's hand and took the stage. Spencer found her rightful seat in the midst of the people she grew up with, placing herself near the beginning of the H last names. "Thank you, Miss Hastings," he said into the microphone as he shuffled the diplomas on the pedestal. "The graduating class is…"

As Mr. Hackett started the countdown, Emily was frantically brushing her fingers through her hair, which had been dried out a bit by the swim season. She prayed to God that it wouldn't look frizzy in the pictures. And she would be the first out of all her friends to walk up to the stage.

"Emily Fields."

She could hear the swim team hooting and calling her name. Standing tall, Emily nervously skittered up to the stage and accepted her diploma, shaking the vice-principal's hand, then pausing and grinning for a picture. Then she sat back down, sighing in relief that she had made it: High school was over.

A few more names were read. "Spencer Hastings."

An eruption of applause escaped every student and adult in the room, and Spencer hoped that she wouldn't be _too_ cocky the rest of the night. She giggled and held back tears when she saw Toby waving a sign around that read, _You made it, Spencer! We love you!_

As Spencer returned to her seat, she cast sunny looks to her other friends, Hanna and Aria, who looked like they were about to die from boredom. Hanna was picking at her nail polish and Aria was busy adjusting the chunky, Aria-esque necklace around her neck, frowning.

A bit later, Hanna's name was called. "Hanna Marin."

Hanna smoothed down her white robe—which she considered the ugliest thing she'd ever seen—and proudly made her way to the stage. After all, she graduated high school. She didn't know how, but she did.

Some boys catcalled, but she only had her eyes on one certain shaggy-haired boy in the back.

Next came Emily's ex-girlfriend, Paige McCullers. They had broken up when Emily said that yes, Stanford was a good school, but she wanted to stay near home and go to Danby. As much as it still stung, Emily managed to clap happily for her.

Eventually Aria's name was called—"Aria Montgomery"—and Hanna swiveled around to see how Aria planned to make it to the stage without tripping in her five-inch heels. The shortest of the group, she refused to be small, and went big with her graduation outfit: chunky necklace, high studded heels, and long dangly earrings. Hanna couldn't help but be slightly jealous by the cool, sophisticated way Aria strutted up to the stage, catching the eye of a certain teacher in the back and sending him a wink.

As soon as the girls were done being called up, there was a simultaneous sigh of exhilaration and relief: They all had graduated. They were officially done with high school.

The four friends barely paid attention to the boys—Spencer was too busy sending winning smirks to Andrew, Aria kept turning around nonchalantly to smile at Mr. Fitz, Emily kept drifting off with exciting thoughts about her future, and Hanna was smoothing out her curled hair—until Caleb Rivers' name was announced. Aria watched from behind her, eyes widening in surprise, as Hanna stood up and whooped, clapping wildly, before sitting down. Spencer smirked at Caleb's flushed face.

When the last few names were being called, Aria anxiously scooted to the edge of her seat, ready to bounce off the walls in her bundle of nerves. She was eighteen; Ezra, who had taken the Rosewood teaching job back in the beginning of senior year, was no longer her teacher. There would be no problems anymore. They had survived all the curveballs, the nasty comments, the disapproval—and the vice-principal, for some odd reason, never found out the true story after Aria had lied and said she'd never been involved with Mr. Fitz in the first place.

"Presenting the class of 2011," Mr. Hackett repeated as anticipation filled the room. "You are now graduates!"

Deafening amounts of applause echoed in the gym as white caps tumbled with light blue caps, the Rosewood High colors, and Aria leaned over to hug Hanna, squeezing her tight. Emily did the same with Spencer until they all filed out and joined in a group hug. "No more school!" Hanna squealed, and Emily added, "And no more A."

Just last month, it was revealed that Alison had a twin sister named Courtney. She explained that Alison never mentioned her because she stayed at Radley. When asked why, she shrugged her shoulders and said that didn't matter; now that she was out for a visit, she wanted to make memories.

"Memories" for Courtney had turned into a nightmare for the girls, plus Mona Vanderwaal, who had been A's pawn. The four and Courtney were supposed to be spending a fun time at the Poconos when the girls noticed something suspicious: When Hanna was building the fire, Courtney came too close and almost knocked Hanna into the flames. While Aria was enjoying the view of the lake below, Courtney "slipped" and almost pushed Aria off the cliff.

Then Courtney went off, saying that she was fetching her sweater from the cabin, but instead returned in a _very _familiar red coat.

Courtney admitted to being Red Coat and to killing her sister, Ian, Garrett, Wilden—all of them. She said Alison stole her life. Then she said something that made the blood run cold in their veins: The Alison they knew wasn't Alison. The real Ali was standing right in front of them, and her life had been taken away by Courtney.

"Paranoid schizophrenia," Real Ali scoffed. "Courtney couldn't stop pretending she was me. And she would always say that I threatened her to be me. So I got rid of her, made her look paranoid so they could send her away and leave me be." And Real Ali had given a sickening smirk. "It was never 'Who Killed Alison?' It was all 'Who Killed Courtney?' And no one had any idea I existed." Then she came dangerously close to Aria, who was still perched near the edge of the cliff, heart pounding, and whispered with a smirk on her lips, "Looks like it wasn't a joke. Insanity really _does _run in the family."

And she grabbed Aria, who shrieked when Real Ali started to practically dangle her over the cliff and choke her with her hoody. "Aria!" Spencer and Emily both cried, Hanna too shocked to say anything, but Real Ali pulled out a black object from her pocket and pointed it at Aria's back. "You were all there the night she died. She knew Ian, Garrett, and Wilden. You were also a part of the life she took from me." There was the cock of a gun, and she added in a terrifying sentence, "And hurting you just isn't enough."

But there came a rustling in the trees, and Real Alison didn't have time to react when Toby pounced, knocking her over with an _Oomph! _Spencer darted for Aria, who was struggling to breathe and waving her arms around frantically so that she wouldn't fall. As soon as she felt Spencer's arms around her, she began to sob and collapsed, bringing Spencer to the grassy ground.

Toby forcefully pinned Real Ali so that her stomach was on the ground, and he grabbed her wrists before handcuffing her and prying the gun out of her grasp. Police sirens roared, and it turned out the police had been silently watching the whole endeavor. "I knew who she was," Toby explained later as Real Ali was driven away, and Spencer gave him a grateful peck on the cheek. "She was going to get rid of Mona first, but there was more opportunity with you guys."

Later, Mona called Hanna and said the police had searched her house and found a lethal drug dose in her expensive beverage bottle. She explained that earlier in the day, she had let Real Ali take a sip from it. The two once-friends then called a truce and promised to keep in touch after graduation.

Now here they were, receiving hugs from acquaintances and family members. Aria huddled next to her mom, dad, and Mike for group pictures, casting longing looks at Ezra, who was giving out handshakes. After taking plenty of photos, she passed by him and gripped his hand. "You'll go far in life, Miss Montgomery," he said. To any other, it would seem like a normal student- teacher confrontation. But he added a quick wink, and Aria felt a folded piece of paper slip into her hand. "Thank you, Mr. Fitz," she replied, biting her bottom lip as she held his hand for a couple seconds longer before letting go and walking away.

The girls and the boyfriends were waiting at the front door to go home and change so they could celebrate at Spencer's house. The blood racing in her ears made her dizzy, but she liked that feeling. She halted in her spot and unfolded the paper, which read, _The apartment, 7pm. Have a surprise for you._

Aria was lightheaded as she glanced over her shoulder to already find Ezra staring back, a small smile on his face.

"Come on, you guys!" Spencer cried. "Let's go have some fun!"

Stuffing the note in the pocket of the dress she wore underneath, Aria followed her friends out the doors. Today was some day.

…

"We have the rest of today and the whole summer to not worry about a thing!" Emily sighed and relaxed, plopping down on the couch. "I can't wait to see what kind of travel opportunities Danby offers."

"And what about you, Hanna?" Spencer inquired. She was curled up in Toby's arms, sitting on his lap as they shared the one-person sofa. "Excited to ditch us for Hollywood?"

"Just because I'm moving to L.A., Spence, doesn't mean I'm going to be on TV," Hanna said with an "Uh, duh!" tone.

"You'd probably look great on a screen, though," Caleb flirted, and Hanna awed at his comment while giving him a small kiss on the lips. Aria snorted, and Hanna took quickly to notice.

"And what about you, Aria?" All eyes landed on Aria, who was biting into a pretzel stick. "Are you dragging Fitz along with you to New York?"

Aria rolled her eyes. "I'm not _dragging _him there. A while ago we made plans that he'd apply there. In fact, I'm seeing him at seven tonight. He has a _surprise._" Hanna opened her mouth, but Aria knew she was about to say something kinky and interrupted. "Just no, Han."

There was a peaceful moment of silence. Then Emily said, tears in her eyes, "I'm going to miss you guys so much."

Aria grinned weakly, but it fell. She put a comforting hand on Emily's shoulder. "Yeah, me too."

"You can come visit me in L.A. whenever you want!" Hanna piped up. "Caleb will all the time, right?" She looked at him expectantly. "You won't be _that _far away. We'll just be on opposite ends of California."

"I can't wait to visit you, Aria," Spencer joked. "Living with Fitz must be some adventure."

Aria launched a pretzel, and it landed on Spencer's head. Toby flicked it off, laughing.

Then their laughter died down, and it became quiet again. They spent a couple more hours together before it was time to say good-bye. "We'll keep in touch," Aria croaked as Hanna sobbed into her shoulder, and she rubbed her back pacifyingly. "I promise."

"I know," Hanna cried, squeezing her friend. "And I'll send you whatever I have a discount on."

They went around and hugged each other like they were all leaving tomorrow—when, in actuality, they had the whole summer to spend together until Aria packed up and left for the east, Hanna to the west, and the other two near home. But they'd known each other for such a long time, it was sad to see them all grown up and leaving. They were friends for life.

Most of all, though, they cried tears of relief because for them, A was over. There was nothing left to haunt them.

For twenty years, that is.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_Twenty Years Later_

_**Melody**_

After placing the last bag in the trunk of her parents' car, Melody Fitz slammed it shut and watched as it bobbed from the impact. She slid her hands into her pockets and sighed dramatically, glancing longingly at the street. The car horns honking, the lingering smell of gasoline, the shouts of people passing by... This was her home. Their tiny two-bedroom apartment upstairs, that was her home. New York was her home—but now they were packing up and moving to Rosewood, Pennsylvania, where her mother grew up.

"Melody, why did you close the trunk?" whined Aria Montgomery-Fitz, her mother, as she struggled with a couple more bags. "I told you there was a couple left."

"Sorry," Melody mumbled, then reopened the trunk, chipping off lime-green nail polish in the process.

Aria noticed her sixteen-year-old daughter's glum face and sighed. After squeezing the bags in with the others with a grunt, she finalized the closing of the trunk. "This isn't going to be forever for you, you know."

"I know," Melody breathed out. "But two years can't go by fast enough." Inwardly, she was wondering, _How can I leave New York for some boring cow town?_ She'd been to Italy, England, even Iceland. Aria had taken a year abroad during college and dragged along her then boyfriend and current husband, Ezra, with her. Melody remembered flipping through all the photo albums of them on the Alps, in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and laughing as they watched a geyser blow up in Reykjavík. Then, after Melody and her sister, Kat, came along, she planned another European trip for the whole family. Ezra had leaned down as Aria excitedly blabbed about the glaciers and whispered in Melody's ear, "You'll never hear the end of it." She'd been eight then, totally and completely oblivious, yet enjoying the European air.

In her mind, Pennsylvania was like leaving the center of Paris and moving to a desolate area in the mountains

"All your aunts are there, and so are your grandparents," Aria continued to explain with a hopeful glint in her hazel eyes that only her youngest daughter had inherited. "Aunt Emily stayed her whole life, Aunt Hanna moved there five years ago, and Aunt Spencer just moved back last week—"

"Those are your friends, Mom," Melody snapped. "We're not actually related."

Aria frowned. She knew that moving from their crowded, cozy New York apartment to a larger house in Rosewood would be hard on her children. She opened her mouth to say more, but closed it when Ezra appeared with thirteen-year-old Katerina lugging herself behind.

"Ready to go, family?" he asked exuberantly while he dangled the car keys. By that point, both Aria and Melody had the same stance—arms crossed over chest, weight on one leg—and neither one towered over the other, unlike Ezra, who was a good nine inches taller when Aria wasn't wearing her usual five-inch heels. It appeared as though Kat would be slightly taller than her sister, despite being younger.

Aria sighed and blinked at her eldest before nodding her head and yanking open the passenger door. "Yes, let's go."

Ezra watched Aria slam the door and Kat cozy herself in the back seat before his blue eyes met Melody's similarly colored ones. "Did I miss something?"

"No," Melody grumbled while opening the other side door. "Can we just go now please?"

…

_**Rebecca**_

Rebecca Cavanaugh sighed and plopped down on her mattress, wiping the bit of sweat that had formed on her forehead after a long hour of unpacking. Her desk was tidy and in-order, her posters of famous paintings were lined up perfectly on the walls, and her bed spread was smoothed out without a wrinkle in sight—until she fell on it.

Now she was ready for a well-needed break, and by the smell of baking cookies downstairs she knew that she was right on schedule.

When she clambered down the stairs, she saw her father reading the Rosewood Observer at the empty table. Besides that and a few chairs, the dining room was pretty much bare. While passing by, Rebecca smiled and ruffled her dad's hair. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey, Becky," Toby replied, consciously reaching up to fix his hair.

Rebecca learned that even though the dining room was pretty empty, the kitchen, however, was covered head to toe in boxes, save for a single space on the counter where a tray of freshly baked cookies was placed—and there was her mom in her favorite apron, hair pulled back in a ponytail and a headband, reminding Rebecca of a woman who stepped out of a 1950s catalogue.

"Hey, sweetie," Spencer panted as Rebecca weaved through the boxes and gave her a hug. "Taking a break?"

"Yeah," Rebecca replied, going to pick up a cookie. She gasped and pulled back when the heat zapped her finger.

"Careful," Spencer warned a bit too late. "Those just came out of the oven."

Rebecca watched her mother carefully unpack the porcelain dishes for a few seconds before asking, "Where's Isaac?"

"Outside playing with the neighbors' boys. Turns out they have twins that are Isaac's age." Spencer shuddered.

"Wow, someone's already making friends." In her mind, she thought people didn't really make any friends until they went to school and were forced to.

"Don't go there," Spencer chimed. "Melody should be here later today, and Amanda and Nahla live in the neighborhood. Why don't you go say hi?"

Rebecca ignored her mother's question, her ears perking up at the mention of Melody. "Melody? As in Aunt Aria's daughter?"

"Yeah," Spencer replied, squinting her eyes questionably at her daughter. "Don't you remember her?"

"Yes," scoffed Rebecca. "But only because she always ignored me as kids."

Biting her lip, Spencer sighed and set down what she was taking out before turning around, hand on her hip. "Melody is a lot like her mother, so she can be cold. But once you get to know her, she's really sweet."

From what Rebecca could remember, Melody was always reading or working on some art project. Sometimes, Rebecca caught her scribbling in a journal, and Melody would immediately start a screaming match. Like Rebecca wanted to know Melody's deep, darkest secrets anyway; they were probably all about how she lost her favorite pair of scissors or her glue stick.

Rebecca opened her mouth to reply, but she was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. "Toby, can you get that?" Spencer called, but Rebecca interrupted and said, "I can get it."

Pushing her light brown hair behind her ear, Rebecca opened the door to see a smiling girl her age with Filipino skin and a brown-haired, blue-eyed beauty next to her. "Nahla!" Rebecca exclaimed, encasing her in a hug. "Amanda!"

"Hey!" both girls squealed as they wrapped their arms around the other.

After pulling away, Rebecca stood back, mouth agape. "I'm so glad to see you! It's been too long."

"I know!" cried Amanda Rivers, Hanna's daughter. "If we hadn't been pen pals, we would've forgotten about each other."

Rebecca laughed. "Our moms are best friends. We would have to be delusional to forget about each other."

"Let's go out on the grass," Nahla Fields, Emily's adopted daughter from the Philippines, suggested. "We have so much to talk about!" Rebecca agreed and called to her mom that she would be outside before closing the door and traveling across the yard.

Each girl plopped down so that they formed a circle. "So, did you hear?" Amanda dropped her voice to her signature gossip whisper. "Melody's moving to town."

Again, Rebecca's stomach twisted in unease. Melody was the only one out of the four that had made herself isolated from family functions.

"I can't remember the last time I saw Aunt Aria and Uncle Ezra," piped up Nahla. "And I don't remember Kat at all. I've only seen her in pictures."

"Same here," answered Rebecca, remembering small bits and pieces of memories. "Last time I saw Melody, she completely ignored me. I got the impression that she didn't like anyone. All she did was read while my parents talked to hers. I was so bored most of the visit. Even though New York is a huge city, I had no one to talk to."

Nahla was about to add something when Amanda chimed in unexpectedly. "Didn't Aunt Aria leave them or something?" she stated boringly while studying her nails.

"Amanda!" Nahla exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"What?" Amanda whined.

"No, I heard that, too," Rebecca piped up. "Actually, I remember it. When we were visiting New York, a knock at the door woke me up in the middle of the night. It was Aunt Aria, and she was sobbing. My mom told me to go back to bed, that Aria was fine, but that's all I can recall. I was only six."

"Maybe that's why Melody's so bitter," Amanda suggested. "Because her home situation sucks."

"No, they seemed happy." Rebecca drifted off, recollecting. "Last time I saw them. It was just Melody."

"It could just be an act," Amanda stated. "Adults pretend all the time that everything's okay. Believe me, my mom likes to do that all the time when her and my dad are in some argument."

Suddenly, a little boy who was the spitting image of his father came rushing up to Rebecca from the back, causing her to fall forward. "Isaac!" she sputtered in shock as he ran away, giggling. "That wasn't funny, jerk!"

Nahla and Amanda continued to laugh loudly, and Rebecca scoffed exasperatedly. "My brother does that, too," Amanda said. "All the time. He likes to surprise me. It really gets on my nerves."

"Tell me about it," Rebecca huffed, rubbing her back.

Amanda peeked over Rebecca's shoulder, squinting in the distance as a car came into view. "Is that…"

"…Aunt Aria's car?" finished Nahla, and the three started to stand up and make themselves presentable as the small family filed out of the car. Spencer appeared on the porch with Toby by her side, and she squealed like a little girl when the first door opened and Aria came out—in five-inch heels, of course. The two old best friends encompassed each other in a tight hug, chatting about how long it had been since they last saw each other.

Next came Ezra, who nodded politely at the three girls before joining his wife. "I've always liked Uncle Ezra," Amanda whispered, causing Rebecca and Nahla to raise an eyebrow. "He's cute in, like, an old man way."

"Ew," Nahla drawled out in a hushed tone. "Amanda, he's married and so not your type anyway."

"God, guys, I didn't say I wanted to date him!" Amanda defended herself. "I just said that I think he's attractive…_in an old man way_."

Released from Spencer's deathly grasp, Aria moved her attention to the girls standing awkwardly in the yard. "Look at you!" she cooed. "You've all grown up so much!"

Rebecca still had her father's crystal blue eyes and mother's long, straight, brown hair; Nahla, though adopted, surprisingly resembled Emily, with the same oriental eyes and tanned skin; and Amanda was a mirror image of her mother, save for the color of her hair, which was wavy, like Hanna, but brown like her father's.

As Aria encased them each in an ecstatic hug, both Rebecca and Nahla couldn't help but feel awkward for being slightly taller than their aunt. However, Amanda complained afterward that she wished she was an inch or two taller instead of stuck at five foot two.

While Ezra and Aria exuberantly conversed with Toby and Spencer, Toby's hand looped around Spencer's waist, the side door slid open and out popped Katerina. The three girls standing dumbly on the lawn were surprised; to them, Kat was a dark-haired baby Melody always sneered at. Now she was an inch above her mother; had round, hazel eyes; and long, blackish hair that was loosely curled like Ezra's. All that with her pale complexion and she was stunning. Rebecca consciously traced a finger across her exotic, pointed chin her mother had given her. It was harsh compared to Kat's soft, round face.

Then followed the daughter that the three girls had been practically bad mouthing for ten minutes, and Melody was the same as they remembered her: medium-length, wavy, brown hair; blue eyes; and bow-shaped lips. Her and Kat looked similar, if their opposite eyes and hair didn't say otherwise.

When she saw her cousins, one corner of Melody's mouth turned down in a crooked frown that reminded Rebecca of, as she dubbed it, the Older Fitz sneer. Kat caught a glance of the cousins she barely remembered and plastered a small, anxious smile, and even casted a reluctant wave. Amanda returned the polite gesture with a crazy, bubbly wave of her own while Nahla just raised her hand in the air as hesitantly as Kat. But Rebecca didn't notice; her eyes were too fixated on the mysterious Melody, and her thoughts kept returning to the night Aria rushed to their hotel room in tears.

Spencer and Aria were close from what Rebecca remembered, and Spencer had no clue that her daughter didn't have an ounce of liking towards Melody. Maybe, now that her family left hectic New York for preppy Rosewood, Rebecca would learn why Melody was so cold in the first place. After all, she could just need a friend, or she just had one of those personalities that was closed at first, but then would burst open with trust.

"Come on!" laughed Spencer, whose face was in the same wide, exhilarated grin. "Let's all go inside." Then she grabbed her tiny friend's arm in excitement. "I'll call Hanna and Emily. Oh, and I bought the ingredients for your homemade vegetarian lasagna! Remember how we used to cook together all the time?"

"Good, I'm starving!" grumbled Amanda while rolling her eyes. She and Nahla started walking, but both noticed that Rebecca hadn't moved. Amanda raised one of her plucked brown eyebrows, the blue eye underneath crinkling in confusion. "You coming, Becca?"

"Yeah, just a sec," Rebecca muttered as Melody slinked inside her house behind her sister and parents. For some reason, she had a bad feeling about her cousin, but she was willing to cast it away to make a possible new friend.

It was time to end the family feud.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: When it comes to the world of PLL, I'm a huge Ezria shipper. I've never written for Spoby or Haleb before, so I decided to start off this story focusing on Aria's daughter. Next chapter will be the PLLs catching up along with a possible Ezria flashback, then the chapter after that will be Rebecca. I especially like Melody and Rebecca, as you will see. A bit later in this story will I focus mainly on Amanda and Nahla and their parents.**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_**Melody**_

"Melody!" cried Aria from the empty master bedroom. "Have you seen my pottery brushes?"

Melody sighed in frustration as she dropped a box, paintbrushes and paints spilling out and rolling around the carpeted room. "No, Mom!" she yelled back, her head ready to explode.

Aria was crossing the hallway when she saw her daughter in desperate need of help, and stopped at her doorway. "Need help?"

Clenching her jaw, Melody looked up under her long lashes and saw her mom with a slight glean of sweat on her forehead anticipating an answer. "I'm fine," she mumbled.

"Suite yourself," Aria responded. "I'm going to set up the art studio in the attic. If you need anything, ask your father; he's only unpacked his laptop and his manuscript." She added more to herself as she strutted away, "That man can't stay away from his writing for a second."

As Melody plopped down on the floor and exhaled audibly, she glumly scooped up the paintbrushes. Just then, Kat speeded by the door, skipping down the hallway and humming at the same time. She retraced her steps and saw her sister frowning on the floor. "Want to take a break?" she asked, sticking a lollipop she'd been sucking on back in her mouth.

Melody was tempted to point out that Kat's tongue was dyed blue from the candy, but she realized that she should really stop being so negative and start off her new life in Rosewood with a fresh beginning. "I would really like to get this stuff unpacked right now," she replied instead of taunting her sister.

"Suite yourself," Kat said in singsong, repeating her mother's words and making Melody cringe. Why was everyone in this family so content except for her?

All of a sudden, there was a shattering crash upstairs in the attic. At first, Melody was frozen in her spot, but when she heard her dad's voice cry out, "Aria!" she followed him, Kat on her heels.

"Aria?" Ezra called again, concerned. Entering the attic, there was a cloud of dust, and Aria was on the floor, sputtering. To Melody's surprise, Ezra started laughing. "What are you doing?"

He gave her his hand and she took it gratefully, coughing in her elbow. "I was setting up my work on the shelves when it just came tumbling down… Stupid rusty bolt." She sighed sadly and groaned, hitting her forehead on her husband's available chest. "The vase I made for my mom…," she began, sighing again. "It broke."

Ezra placed his hands on Aria's arms and gently pulled her away. "You can easily make another one."

"I know, I know." Aria shook him off. "It's just, I really liked this one. I thought my mom would have liked it, too. And now it's a pile of baked clay crumbs." And she kicked at the broken pile bitterly.

Meanwhile, Melody and Katerina awkwardly stood behind their parents, not knowing what to do or say. Then Melody gasped. "Mom!" she cried out. "You're bleeding!"

There was, in fact, a trail of blood going down her knee, but Aria didn't seem to notice until now. "You're right," she said, and bended forward to pull out a clay shard. She hissed when it burned in pain. "Ouch."

"Let's get you downstairs," Ezra said soothingly.

Limping, Aria put an arm around Ezra's shoulders while Ezra put an arm around her waist. But then another realization struck, and Aria slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Shoot! I forgot to turn in my application to the school board," she moaned.

The blood kept pouring out of the wound, and Kat started to look green. "Aria, there is a gash in your leg," Ezra pointed out. "You are _not _allowed to let yourself bleed to death so you could go turn in a job application."

The family clambered down the attic stairs cautiously as to not fall and push over Aria. "But the deadline's today!"

"Mom, calm down. I can go turn it in for you," Melody offered. They were now in the kitchen, where Aria found a chair and sat down, groaning. With the first aid kit handily sticking out of a box, Ezra pulled it out and started to unwrap a roll of gauze.

"That's so unprofessional, honey," Aria stated. Melody rolled her eyes at her mother's bad mood.

"Seriously, Mom! I need to get acquainted to the streets anyway. School starts tomorrow," Melody fought.

Aria sighed and glanced up at her daughter, not even flinching when Ezra tugged out the piece of clay. "All right," she agreed hesitantly.

Melody's stomach boiled over in excitement. After today's awkward lunch at the Cavanaughs, Melody believed that none of the girls really wanted to be her friend, and she might as well learn the ins and outs now by herself instead of ending up embarrassed tomorrow.

But instead of squealing, Melody kept her calm and cleared her throat. "Where's your application?" she asked smoothly.

"Back up in the attic in my portfolio," Aria explained. "It shouldn't be too hard to find." Then she turned her attention to Ezra and smiled. Melody could faintly hear their conversation, but chose to ignore it for the most part. "My dad said that Hollis has an open teaching position now that he's retiring. Maybe you'll get the same office as last time?"

…

As Melody pulled reluctantly into the high school parking lot, she squinted her eyes against the sun and whistled. The building was huge and looked newly renovated. How was she _not _going to get lost?

Stepping out of the car, she adjusted her denim skirt and approached the front doors. Her heels echoed off the walls as she entered the school, and again she felt like an outsider in the vast hallway.

"Are those real feathers in your hair?"

Melody jumped and whipped around, almost falling down on her heel and twisting her ankle. "Whoa!" a guy with nice teeth, startling green eyes, and a dirty lacrosse outfit said, steadying her. "I just wanted to beat the welcome wagon." And he gave her his hand. "Jeremy Kahn. You must be Melody Fitz."

She took his hand and shook it politely, shoving a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yes, that's me. Seems like the whole town knows about us moving here."

"My dad's told me a lot of stories about your family…," he trailed off.

Eyebrows furrowed, Melody tilted her head in a quandary. "What do you mean?" Then she added, "Your dad knows my parents?"

"Yeah," Jeremy said, and that's when it dawned on Melody that this kid was bad news. "My dad and your mom used to date."

Melody's eyes almost bugged out of her head. "What?" she sputtered.

"What, your mom never told you about her love life? Well, she probably wouldn't, since she's been with the same man for—"

An earsplitting whistle broke their heated conversation, and Melody's right eye flinched. "Mr. Kahn, what did I say about dillydallying?" It was the lacrosse couch. "Back to the field!"

Jeremy sent her a knowing smirk that made Melody's cheeks burn in fury. "See ya, Fitz."

Huffing, Melody spun around on her heels and stomped the rest of the way to the main office. What was all this stuff about her family? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea on her mom's part to return to Rosewood.

A secretary sat typing on a desktop computer when Melody entered the office, her dangerously long, red nails clicking. "May I help you?" she asked civilly, but it sounded more forced than genuine.

"Yes, I'm here to turn in a job application for my mom," Melody explained, shifting awkwardly as she pulled it out and handed it to the woman. "We just moved here this morning and she got in a small accident while unpacking the boxes."

"Oh, yes. Aria Fitz. We heard that she was applying." The secretary shuffled it under a pile of papers.

"Actually, she likes to go by Montgomery. As much as she loves my dad she's still a hardcore feminist." Melody saw that the name plaque on the desk read "Mrs. Elinor Clark."

Mrs. Clark barked out a laugh. "I do the same thing. The only time I ever introduce myself to someone by my husband's name is if she's some woman making eyes at my man." When she stopped chortling to herself, she blinked up at Melody and studied her curiously. "You look familiar, dear. Is your family from here?"

"Yes," Melody replied. "My mom grew up here and my dad taught at this school for a while."

"Oh, yes, it all makes perfect sense!" she exclaimed in awe. "Ezra Fitz. How could I forget him? I was so young back then, and he was quite the eye candy." She noticed Melody's scowl and waved her hand. "That was meant as a compliment, honey."

"I know. I just don't like to think of my dad as someone who was once young and…attractive." Melody laughed weakly.

"Well, he was a great teacher, quite the hit with the kids. And your mother…" Her eyebrows furrowed. "I don't think I remember her. Or maybe I do. Was she the one with the pink streaks in her hair?"

"When she was a freshman. Then she was in Iceland for a year."

Mrs. Clark's face blanched. "Oh. Yes. Aria Montgomery. I remember now." She cleared her throat and turned back to her screen. "Thank you for coming in, dear. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," Melody mumbled while backing out the door, suspicious at the woman's reaction. "Maybe."

…

The next morning, Melody woke up to the smell of eggs and bacon. Even though she hated the smell of pork, she couldn't deny that her stomach was growling for some of her mother's seasoned fried eggs. Grumbling, she climbed out of bed and almost tripped over a box before reaching her closet and pulling something on.

Though it was seven in the morning, Aria was dressed and ready for the day ahead, which was totally unlike her. As Melody remembered it, her mom would sleep in until ten on days when she wasn't working. "Good morning," Aria chimed. Ezra was nowhere in sight. "Ready for your first day?"

"I guess," muttered Melody.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Aria wiped her hands on a towel. "I asked Rebecca to pick you up today. Isn't that exciting?"

Melody stuffed some food in her mouth so she didn't have to answer and hummed a "Mhmm." Driving with Rebecca on the first day of school was definitely not on her to-do list.

Before Aria could say more and tamper Melody's mood even further, Ezra entered the kitchen in his usual vest. "Well, I'm off to Hollis." He bent forward and placed a kiss on his daughter's cheek. "Good luck on your first day of school, Mel."

With a beam glowing in her eyes, Aria smiled at her husband. "Good luck!" she called out as the front door closed.

Kat came stumbling down the stairs, still rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "Mom, I don't feel good," she complained, but Melody recognized her act—and so did Aria.

"You're fine, Katy. It's just the first day jitters."

"So, Mom," Melody began a new conversation. "What are _you _doing today?"

If it wasn't for her age of thirty-eight years, Melody would have guessed that Aria was a freshman in college by the way she glowed in girlish excitement. "Your aunts and I are getting together today while you kids are in school," she squealed. "It's been so long since we've had one."

"That's great, Mom," Melody said, truly meaning it.

All of a sudden, there came a honk outside. Aria peeked out the kitchen window and exclaimed, "Rebecca's here!"

For the umpteenth time since they got here, Melody rolled her eyes as she heard Rebecca's annoyingly kind voice. "Good morning, Aunt Aria!" she heard her say.

Kat sneezed and Melody picked up her backpack. Life was so typical, she thought. Especially in Rosewood. Already she felt like she was in one of those stereotypical teen movies where everyone had their own clique—except for her.

"Ready to go?" Rebecca piped up as Kat and Melody appeared behind Aria.

Melody forced a fake smile. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Okay, then!" Rebecca waved them to her car. "Let's go!"

…

"I'm so nervous!" Rebecca jabbered as Melody slouched, brooding, in the passenger seat. "I've been here a week and I still don't know anyone."

"I met a Jeremy Kahn yesterday," Melody said boringly.

"See!" she squeaked. "You've only been here a _day _and you've met more people than I have."

Melody raised an eyebrow. "So you don't know anything about this kid?"

Rebecca shook her head. "No. You're better off asking Nahla or Amanda."

There was an awkward silence as Rebecca pulled up into the parking lot. "Here goes," she whispered while taking a big breath, only to step out of the car and cry out, "Mandy! Nahla!" in her high-pitched faux voice.

Right as Melody was about to follow, her phone vibrated. She thought it was just her mom sending her another "Good luck!" text (she'd received four on the way to school), but the contact came up in a stream of numbers and letters. Curious, she opened it.

_Welcome to the city of Rosewood, where I'm one of its finest residents! Think you know your family like I do? Think again. _

The message was signed with the single letter "A." Melody scoffed. What kind of sick joke was this? She scanned the area of cars and students, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Again, her phone vibrated, indicating another text.

_First things first: I need to clear up a few things about your mom. She was quite the teacher's pet. –A_

Shoving her phone back in her bag, Melody stared at the pavement, thoughts racing. Who _was _this?

"Melody?" It was Rebecca. "You coming?"

"Yeah, in a second," Melody called back. Reluctantly, she pulled out her phone again and gave the texts another read-through.

"Teacher's pet"? It was worse enough having to move to a new town and go to a new school. Now someone was messing with her?

But who?


End file.
